As part of our commitment to improving the communities where we operate, we strive to protect our world for future generations. We look for ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle our resources. Some examples of steps we have taken include:
In partnership with Duke Energy, MDI installed charging stations for reefers at the distribution center in Hickory, N.C. These stations allow reefers that keep the trailers cold to run on electricity instead of diesel fuel. Both MDI trucks and over-the-road trucks use these stations to save fuel, reduce emissions, and reduce noise pollution.
All Alex Lee facilities use energy-saving lights. In the MDI warehouse, we have LED lights with motion sensors that turn lights off when there is no activity in the area. We also use LED lights in our Lowes Foods stores with motion sensors in the frozen cases so that they only turn on when a guest is near the case. Converting the facilities to LED lights resulted in significant power savings and energy conservation.
In 2022, Alex Lee recycled over 23,000 tons of cardboard and over 750 tons of flexible plastics, such as pallet wrap, stretch film, case overwrap, and plastic bags, through our bulk recycling programs. That’s collectively over 1,200 truckloads of recycled material that was kept out of the landfill last year. After it is collected and baled at one of our distribution centers, the cardboard and plastic are sold to third parties for recycling and processing. On the retail side, we provide recycling options at the front of every Lowes Foods store.
We have perishable pick-up programs at our stores and at our distribution center. Our partner food banks and soup kitchens pick up perishable products regularly to put to good use feeding the hungry while reducing waste in the process.
Lowes Foods is now a participant in the North Carolina 10% Campaign, pledging to source at least 10% of their purchases from North Carolina. Lowes Foods already exceeds the 10% locally grown goal for fresh fruits and vegetables in their North Carolina stores during the state's growing season. We are striving to sell even more in the years to come. Lowes Foods continually seeks North Carolina products across many categories, including seafood and packaged products, and we are actively working with farmers to teach them the best way to get their products through the distribution system of a large grocery chain.
We are committed to providing our guests with quality, variety, and value. Our commitments to cage-free or better eggs rely on affordability to our guests, guest preferences, and market availability. At Lowes Foods, we have increased our cage-free or better shell egg variety by over 60% since 2016, which now represents nearly half of our total assortment. We are committed to continuing to increase the assortment of cage-free or better products, including the addition of private label varieties, to support affordability and choice for our guests. Additionally, we are committed to continually working with our vendor partners to invest in price and promotion of higher welfare eggs. We recognize that we have a responsibility to help advance the adoption of higher welfare eggs in our markets. We believe our commitments will help transition the market to cage-free or better varieties.